Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet.
Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus, e.g. a copier, that includes a plurality of functional units such as a feeding unit, a sheet feeding unit, a fixing unit, and a discharge unit is generally known. In such an image forming apparatus, sometimes an abnormality such as a paper jam may occur at any of the functional units during image formation operation. The paper jam will be hereinafter referred to as a jam. To address the case above, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-295546 proposes an image forming apparatus that, in the case where such a jam has occurred, notifies a user of a portion where the jam has occurred such that the user can easily remove the jam. This image forming apparatus includes light emitting diodes, i.e. LEDs, provided at positions in a cover body of the apparatus corresponding to respective functional units, and notifies an operator of occurrence of a jam by lighting one of the LEDs when the jam has occurred.
Generally, in an image forming apparatus, removal of a jam cannot be efficiently performed unless removal of an abnormality is performed in an appropriate order by following a guidance displayed by lighting of the LEDs. An image forming apparatus described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-295546 includes LEDs provided at a door and a conveyance guide so as to notify the user of a presence of a sheet in a conveyance path and notifies a user of a position of a jam having occurred during image formation.
However, in the case where the user opens the guide or the door at a position where the jam has occurred, the LEDs provided at the guide and the door go behind the guide and the door and thus becomes invisible. Therefore, even if the completion of jam removal is notified by putting off the light of LEDs, the user cannot check the LEDs in a state where the guide or the door is open. In this case, the user has to check the state of the jam removal via, for example, a display of an operation portion, and this is not preferable in terms of operability.